Qatar has reported the destruction of two Iranian combat aircraft during operations to defend its territory against attack by Tehran.
“The Qatar Emiri Air Force [QEAF] successfully shot down two [Sukhoi] Su-24 aircraft coming from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Doha’s defence ministry says in a 2 March post on X. Five Iranian drones were also destroyed by its air force and navy, while the nation’s air defences took down seven ballistic missiles, the ministry adds.
“The threat was addressed immediately upon detection, in accordance to the operational plan, as all missiles were shot down before reaching their targets,” it states.
Further details of the aerial engagement have not been disclosed, such as which Qatari jets were involved. After a major expansion to its capabilities over recent years, the QEAF’s combat aircraft inventory features Boeing F-15QAs, Dassault Aviation Rafales and Eurofighter Typhoons, along with older Dassault Mirage 2000-5s.
The operational status of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force fleet is unclear following major strikes conducted by the US and Israel since 28 February, with its inventory having already been depleted during attacks staged against its infrastructure in 2025.
However, fleets information from aviation analytics company Cirium indicates that Tehran previously had around 25 Su-24 ground-attack aircraft in service.
